Nobody wants to get injured, but sadly it is a natural part of life. Whether you feel a strange pain in your leg while playing sports or you get injured in a car accident, you’ll need to seek the advice of a medical professional. However, going to the doctor may not be enough to manage your post-injury pain. You may have to change some of your own habits to reduce and manage injury-related pain. Fortunately, we have 5 ways to help you manage pain in the wake of an injury.
Identify Activities That Exacerbate Your Pain
Some pain is isolated to certain parts of the body. For example, if you twist your ankle, you’ll likely have difficulty walking without experiencing pain. However, if you have headaches as a result of an injury to the head or neck, you may want to avoid rapid neck movements or exposure to bright light. In any case, it’s important to identify activities that exacerbate pain, as well as activities that ease your pain.
Consider Alternative Treatments
In the wake of an injury, physicians will often prescribe pain medication. In more severe cases, they may recommend physical therapy, Durable Medical Equipment (DME), or even surgery. However, you should always ask your doctor if there are alternative treatments that could save you time, money, and additional pain. For example, if you have suffered a tear to your ACL, you might want to ask your doctor about stem cell ACL repair. This could help fast-track your recovery and reduce the degree of pain you experience.
Take A Break From Physically-Demanding Activities
Some people love to do high-impact exercise or participate in recreational sports. However, if you’ve suffered a physical injury, you should put a temporary hold on these kinds of activities. Even if your injury is relatively minor, you could worsen it by putting too much pressure on your body. So, try to take a break from activities that are physically demanding like exercise, heavy lifting, or sports.
Work to Reduce Your Stress
Many people don’t realize that stress plays a major part in recovery. If you’re trying to recover from an injury, excessive stress can slow down the recovery process. Depending on the nature of your injury, it could even worsen your pain. As a result, you should make an effort to reduce stress in your life. While it’s impossible to completely eliminate stress, you should try to manage stress so that it doesn’t feel overwhelming. Some good activities to reduce stress include meditation, massage, listening to relaxing music, and breathing exercises.
Get Adequate Sleep
Much like stress, sleep plays a major role in the way we experience pain and recover from injuries. If you’re not getting enough sleep, you could be slowing down the recovery process. Sleep gives your mind and body a chance to rest and recover from daily activities. Without adequate sleep, you could be doing yourself a huge disservice. Moreover, a lack of sleep can increase cortisol levels, which also increases stress. In short, sleep should be your best friend when you’re recovering from an injury!